Shameful Fads From The '90s

Car air fresheners

During the 1990s, Americans became obsessively concerned with keeping their cars odor-free. The desire to have a clean-smelling automobile resulted in a number of air fresheners, including sprayable mists and scented cardboard trees. Although nothing can truly disguise the smell of a hearty Manwich fart, they always did their best to serve and protect.

Alternative entertainment formats

Rummage through any geek’s attic and you’re likely to find a stockpile of DAT tapes, MiniDiscs and Laserdiscs, three entertainment formats that all came of age during the 1990s. Revolutionary for their time, these days they’re just as likely to be used as beer coasters as they are for technological purposes.

entertainment

The 1990s were far from a golden age of entertainment. When we weren’t glued to the tube watching Saved by the Bell, we were celebrating the antics of Spuds MacKenzie, the world’s only alcoholic bull terrier. Here are five other fads we’re equally ashamed of.

Dance trends

When it comes to dancing, there’s only one little rule you need to keep in mind: Never, ever, ever emulate another white man. Despite the obvious wisdom of the preceding statement, America couldn’t help but jump on the Billy Ray Cyrus bandwagon in 1992 when he introduced his moonshine-inspired dance to the “Achy Breaky Heart.” Blender magazine has since selected the tune as the “second worst song ever,” and it was later parodied to perfection by "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Eurodance

As if wearing Zubaz pants wasn’t bad enough, we also suffered musically during the 1990s with Eurotrash groups like 2 Unlimited, Real McCoy, Snap!, Culture Beat, and Dr. Alban. If you can remember any of their synth-heavy albums, you clearly weren’t doing enough drugs.

The cola war

Despite ongoing bloodshed in the Middle East, the only conflict most Americans cared about during the ‘90s was the so-called Cola War between Coke and Pepsi. The animosity between the two conglomerates resulted in a series of commercials starring musicians like Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul. Alas, both artists survived the war and continue to embarrass themselves to this day.